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Abstract Background The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of PF‑06835375, a potent selective afucosyl immunoglobulin G1 antibody targeting C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5) that potentially depletes B cells, follicular T helper (Tfh) cells, and circulating Tfh-like (cTfh) cells, in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods This first-in-human, multicenter, double-blind, sponsor-open, placebo-controlled Phase 1 study recruited patients aged 18–70 years with SLE or RA. In Part A, patients received single doses of intravenous PF-06835375 (dose range: 0.03–6 mg) or placebo in six sequential single ascending dose (SAD) cohorts. In Part B, patients received repeat doses of subcutaneous PF-06835375 (dose range: 0.3–10 mg) or placebo on Days 1 and 29 in five multiple ascending dose (MAD) cohorts. Tetanus/Diphtheria (Td) and Meningococcal B (MenB/Trumenba™) vaccines were administered at Day 4 (Td and MenB) and Week 8 (MenB only) to assess PF-06835375 functional effects. Endpoints included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), pharmacokinetic parameters, pharmacodynamic effects on B and cTfh cells, and biomarker counts, vaccine response, and exploratory differential gene expression analysis. Safety, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic endpoints are summarized descriptively. The change from baseline of B and Tfh cell-specific genes over time was calculated using a prespecified mixed-effects model, with a false discovery rate

The dynamic compaction method has been widely adopted in foundation treatment to densify the soil fillers. However, for the complexity of the impact behavior and soil mechanical properties, the theoretical research of dynamic compaction lags behind its practice for complex soil properties and stress paths. This paper presents a theoretical model applied to describe soil column plastic deformation under impact load. The relationship among stress increment, strain increment, and plastic wave velocity was derived from the aspect of propagation characteristics of stress waves in soil first. Combined with the Duncan-Chang Model, a one-dimensional theoretical model was established then. A numerical model was developed further to check the performance of the model. It showed that the deformation at the end of the soil column was mushroom-shaped. Both the axial and lateral deformation increased with the impact velocity. While some particles located at the side of the soil column end may splash under repeated impact. The theoretical deformations of the soil column were consistent with the experimental results both in the direction of axial and lateral.

Abstract Through pumping a spin current from ferromagnet into heavy metal (HM) via magnetization precession, parts of the injected spins are in-plane rotated by the lattice vibration, namely acoustic spin rotation (ASR), which manifests itself as an inverse spin Hall voltage in HM with an additional 90° difference in angular dependency. When reversing the stacking order of bilayer with a counter-propagating spin current or using HMs with an opposite spin Hall angle, such ASR voltage shows the same sign, strongly suggesting that ASR changes the rotation direction due to interface spin-orbit interaction. With the drift-diffusion model of spin transport, we quantify the efficiency of ASR up to 30%. The finding of ASR endows the acoustic device with an ability to manipulate spin, and further reveals a new spin-orbit coupling between spin current and lattice vibration.

ABSTRACT: Four experiments were performed to investigate the role of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in intestinal absorption of phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) in broiler chickens. Experiment 1 assessed how dietary levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) influence the gene expression of intestinal P and Ca transporters in broilers. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 administered via intraperitoneal injection on the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) signaling pathways. Experiments 3 and 4 investigated the effect of ERK and p38MAPK inhibitors on the expression of intestinal P and Ca transporters. The findings demonstrated that broilers (1–21 days old) fed a 1,25(OH)2D3-deficient diet (0.625 µg/kg) exhibited reduced body weight, tibia P and Ca levels, and mRNA levels of P transporters (NaPi-IIb, PiT-1, and PiT-2), Ca transporters (NCX1, PMCA1b, and CaBP-D28k), vitamin D receptors (VDR), ERK, and p38MAPK in the duodenum (Experiment 1) (P < 0.05). By comparison, the growth, bone quality, and mRNA levels of genes (except for duodenal NaPi-IIb) in broilers were similar to those in broilers fed the control diet when dietary 1,25(OH)2D3 was adequate (5 µg/kg) (Experiment 1) (P > 0.05). After intraperitoneal injection of 1,25(OH)2D3, the mRNA level of jejunal NaPi-IIb and the protein level of p-p38MAPK/t-p38MAPK in broilers (9–14 days old) decreased (P < 0.05), whereas the mRNA level of CaBP-D28k and the protein level of p-ERK/t-ERK increased (Experiment 2) (P < 0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of jejunal NaPi-IIb and the protein expression of CaBP-D28k in broilers (9–17 days old) treated with the ERK inhibitor PD98059 were greater than those in the control group (Experiment 3) (P < 0.05). Similarly, compared with control broilers, broilers (9–17 days old) treated with the p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580 showed elevated mRNA expression of jejunal NaPi-IIb and CaBP-D28k (Experiment 4) (P < 0.05). These results suggest that adequate supplementation with 1,25(OH)2D3 (5 µg/kg) can restore broiler growth and bone quality by upregulating the transcription of genes involved in intestinal P and Ca absorption. Additionally, the ERK and p38MAPK signaling pathways are implicated in the modulatory effect of 1,25(OH)2D3 on the absorption of P and Ca in broilers.

Abstract Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its complications can have debilitating, sometimes fatal consequences for afflicted individuals. The disease can be difficult to control, and therapeutic strategies to prevent T2D-induced tissue and organ damage are needed. Here we describe the results of administering a potent and selective inhibitor of Protein Kinase C (PKC) family members PKCα and PKCβ, Cmpd 1, in the ZSF1 obese rat model of hyperphagia-induced, obesity-driven T2D. Although our initial intent was to evaluate the effect of PKCα/β inhibition on renal damage in this model setting, Cmpd 1 unexpectedly caused a marked reduction in the hyperphagic response of ZSF1 obese animals. This halted renal function decline but did so indirectly and indistinguishably from a pair feeding comparator group. However, above and beyond this food intake effect, Cmpd 1 lowered overall animal body weights, reduced liver vacuolation, and reduced inguinal adipose tissue (iWAT) mass, inflammation, and adipocyte size. Taken together, Cmpd 1 had strong effects on multiple disease parameters in this obesity-driven rodent model of T2D. Further evaluation for potential translation of PKCα/β inhibition to T2D and obesity in humans is warranted.

A finite element simulation model is established for the gearbox body of 120B metro vehicle model in China. The fatigue strength, static strength and safe nose strength of aluminum alloy and nodular cast iron gearbox are calculated by the finite element method. The results show that the maximum equivalent stress of aluminum alloy case is larger than that of nodular cast iron, and the maximum difference ratio is 36.3%. The static strength and type test of aluminum alloy and nodular cast iron box are compared. The results show that the maximum stress of aluminum alloy case is greater than that of the ductile iron, and the difference ratio is 8.3%. The maximum sound power and vibration value of the aluminum alloy case are greater than that of the nodular cast iron case, but the average bearing temperature decreases by about 10 ℃. Although the strength of the aluminum alloy case is weaker than that of the nodular cast iron case, the overall factor of safety of the aluminum alloy case is higher than that of the nodular cast iron case, which can still meet the service life of 33 years or 9.6 million kilometers requirements. In this study, the applicability of aluminum alloy box is analyzed. The results show that both the aluminum ductile iron and the aluminum alloy can be used in metro gearboxes; both materials have their own advantages and disadvantages, and priority selection can be made during design based on the specific requirements of the vehicle.

During the driving process of unmanned vehicles in mines, if the retaining wall in the mining area is damaged and not detected and repaired in a timely manner, the vehicle may exceed the safety range of the retaining wall during driving or unloading. It can easily cause safety accidents. The existing methods for detecting the status of retaining walls are mostly based on point cloud data collected by vehicle and drone sensing devices. The methods have limited field of view, high sparsity and poor stability. There is a lack of detection methods for the integrity status of retaining walls. In order to solve the above problems, a method for detecting the integrity of retaining wall status based on roadside LiDAR sensors is proposed. A high-resolution roadside LiDAR sensor is used to collect point cloud data of the retaining wall in the driving area of the vehicle. Polygonal area filtering and voxel rasterization are used to obtain complete point cloud data of the retaining wall. A sliding trace search technique is used to divide the retaining wall into sub units along its extension direction to accommodate the different shaped retaining walls. In response to the problem of false detection caused by uneven mining sites and sparse remote point cloud data, a dual threshold method of height difference threshold and density threshold is adopted. It detects the integrity of the entire retaining wall status by detecting the defects of sub units. The method collects point cloud data of 'L' and 'S' type retaining walls in a mining area in Inner Mongolia. The on-site experiments are conducted in both occluded and unobstructed scenarios. The results show that this detection method has strong detection capability for defects in different shapes of retaining walls. The method can identify and mark the damaged parts of point cloud data in real-time.

Abstract Background Snub-nosed monkeys are highly endangered primates and their population continues to decline with the habitat fragmentation. Artificial feeding and breeding is an important auxiliary conservation strategy. Studies have shown that changes and imbalances in the gut microbiota often cause gastrointestinal problems in captive snub-nosed monkeys. Here, we compare the gut microbiota composition, diversity, and predicted metabolic function of three endangered species of snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti, R. brelichi, and R. roxellana) under the same captive conditions to further our understanding of the microbiota of these endangered primates and inform captive conservation strategies. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing was performed on fecal samples from 15 individuals (R. bieti N = 5, R. brelichi N = 5, R. roxellana N = 5). Results The results showed that the three Rhinopithecus species shared 24.70% of their amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), indicating that the composition of the gut microbiota varied among the three Rhinopithecus species. The phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes represented 69.74% and 18.45% of the core microbiota. In particular, analysis of microbiota diversity and predicted metabolic function revealed a profound impact of host species on the gut microbiota. At the genus level, significant enrichment of cellulolytic genera including Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group, Ruminococcus, Christensenellaceae R7 group, UCG 004 from Erysipelatoclostridiaceae, and UCG 002 and UCG 005 from Oscillospiraceae, and carbohydrate metabolism including propionate and butyrate metabolic pathways in the gut of R. bieti indicated that R. bieti potentially has a stronger ability to use plant fibers as energy substances. Bacteroides, unclassified Muribaculaceae, Treponema, and unclassified Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group were significantly enriched in R. brelichi. Prevotella 9, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, and unclassified UCG 010 from Oscillospirales UCG 010 were significantly enriched in R. roxellana. Among the predicted secondary metabolic pathways, the glycan biosynthesis and metabolism had significantly higher relative abundance in the gut of R. brelichi and R. roxellana than in the gut of R. bieti. The above results suggest that different Rhinopithecus species may have different strategies for carbohydrate metabolism. The Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and Unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering tree revealed fewer differences between the gut microbiota of R. brelichi and R. roxellana. Correspondingly, no differences were detected in the relative abundances of functional genes between the two Rhinopithecus species. Conclusion Taken together, the study highlights that host species have an effect on the composition and function of the gut microbiota of snub-nosed monkeys. Therefore, the host species should be considered when developing nutritional strategies and investigating the effects of niche on the gut microbiota of snub-nosed monkeys.

Taking advantage of individualization, automation and intelligentization in care, medical robots has potential in the smart healthcare under artificial intelligence in medicine. This paper summarized the research status of medical robots, and analyzed its application and potential problems in care of patients with Parkinson's disease, in order to provided reference for the development of smart healthcare under the background of “China Brain Project” and China's aging population. (医疗机器人有着个性化、自动化和智能化等照护优势, 在医学人工智能的智慧照护领域有着广大的应用前景。本文梳理了医疗机器人的研究现状, 并对其在帕金森患者照护领域的应用及存在问题进行分析, 旨在为“中国脑计划”与中国老龄化背景下的智慧照护提供借鉴与启发。)

Studies have shown that both short-term and long-term cold exposures disturb the biological process. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of intermittent cold exposure on proteomic profiles in the hypothalamus and pituitary of female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

Nanoparticles (NPs) in haze are potentially hazardous to health, which is more severe in the winter. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays important roles in obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes. Though the toxicology of NPs has been intensively studied, few studies have been reported on the antagonistic effects between Silicon dioxide(SiO2) NPs and cold exposure in brown adipocytes.

Two experiments were conducted in this research. Experiment 1 investigated the spatial expression characteristics of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) transporters in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of 21-day-old broilers provided with adequate nutrient feed. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of dietary vitamin D3 (VD3) concentration (0, 125, 250, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 IU/kg) on growth performance, bone development, and gene expression levels of intestinal Ca and P transporters in 1–21-day-old broilers provided with the negative control diet without supplemental VD3. Results in experiment 1 showed that the mRNA levels of calcium-binding protein 28-kDa (CaBP-D28k), sodium-calcium exchanger 1 (NCX1), plasma membrane calcium ATPase 1b (PMCA1b), and IIb sodium-phosphate cotransporter (NaPi-IIb) were the highest in the broiler duodenum. By contrast, the mRNA levels of inorganic phosphate transporter 1 (PiT-1) and 2 (PiT-2) were the highest in the ileum. Results in experiment 2 showed that adding 125 IU/kg VD3 increased body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), bone weight, and percentage and weight of Ca and P in the tibia and femur of 1–21-day-old broilers compared with the negative control diet (p < 0.05). The rise in dietary VD3 levels from 125 to 1,000 IU/kg further increased the BWG, FI, and weights of the bone, ash, Ca, and P (p < 0.05). No difference in growth rate and leg bone quality was noted in the broilers provided with 1,000 and 2,000 IU/kg VD3 (p > 0.05). Supplementation with 125–2,000 IU/kg VD3 increased the mRNA abundances of intestinal Ca and P transporters to varying degrees. The mRNA level of CaBP-D28k increased by 536, 1,161, and 28 folds in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, respectively, after adding 1,000 IU/kg VD3. The mRNA levels of other Ca and P transporters (PMCA1b, NCX1, NaPi-IIb, PiT-1, and PiT-2) increased by 0.57–1.74 folds by adding 1,000–2,000 IU/kg VD3. These data suggest that intestinal Ca and P transporters are mainly expressed in the duodenum of broilers. Moreover, the addition of VD3 stimulates the two mineral transporter transcription in broiler intestines.

IntroductionSnub-nosed monkeys are species in danger of extinction due to habitat fragmentation and human activities. Captivity has been suggested as an Auxiliary Conservation Area (ASA) strategy. However, little is known about the adaptation of different species of snub-nosed monkeys to captive environments.MethodsThis study compared the gut microbiota between Rhinopithecus bieti, R. brelichi, and R. roxellana under identical captive conditions to provide insights for improving captive conservation strategies.ResultsThe results showed that these three Rhinopithecus species shared 80.94% of their Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU), indicating high similarity in gut microbiota composition. The predominant phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes for all three Rhinopithecus species, but differences were observed in diversity, characteristic bacterial communities, and predicted function. Significant enrichment of cellulolytic families, including Ruminococcaceae, Clostridiales vadinBB60 group, Christensenellaceae, and Erysipelotrichaceae, and pathways involved in propionate and butyrate metabolism in the gut of R. bieti suggested that it may have a superior dietary fiber utilization capacity. In contrast, Bacteroidetes, Ruminoccaceae, and Trichospiraceae were more abundant in R. brelichi and R. roxellana, and were associated with saccharide and glycan metabolic pathways. Moreover, R. brelichi and R. roxellana also had higher similarity in microbiota composition and predicted function.DiscussionIn conclusion, the results demonstrate that host species are associated with the composition and function of the gut microbiota in snub-nosed monkeys. Thus, host species should be considered when formulating nutritional strategies and disease surveillance in captive snub-nosed monkeys.

Type I collagen carboxyl-terminal peptide β (β-CTX) increases in osteoporosis. The study aimed to explore the relationship between serum β-CTX and the risk of osteoporosis as well as sarcopenia in Chinese elderly inpatients. Around 228 patients whose age >65 years were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Dual-energy X-ray scanning was used to access skeletal muscle and bone mass. Serum concentration of β-CTX as well as the prevalence of osteoporosis were significantly higher in low skeletal muscle index (SMI) group than that in the normal SMI group (P < 0.05). Serum β-CTX levels negatively correlated with SMI and bone mass (P < 0.05). Total muscle mass, appendicular skeletal muscle mass, SMI, total bone mass, and bone mass at various sites including the limbs, spine, and pelvis decreased significantly, and the prevalence of low SMI increased with the increase of the quartiles of β-CTX. Higher serum β-CTX had an increased risk of low SMI and osteoporosis (P < 0.05). Summarily, with increasing serum β-CTX levels, both muscle and bone mass decreased in Chinese elderly inpatients. Serum β-CTX was positively associated with the risk of not only osteoporosis but also skeletal muscle loss.

A finite element simulation model is established for the gearbox body of 120B metro vehicle model in China. The fatigue strength, static strength and safe nose strength of the aluminum alloy and the nodular cast iron gearbox are calculated by the finite element method; the results show that the maximum equivalent stress of the aluminum alloy case is larger than that of the nodular cast iron case, and the maximum difference ratio is 36.3%. The static strength and type test of aluminum alloy and nodular cast iron box are compared. The results show that the maximum stress of aluminum alloy case is greater than that of ductile iron, and the difference ratio is 8.3%, the maximum sound power and vibration value of the aluminum alloy case are greater than that of the nodular cast iron case, but the average bearing temperature decreases by about 10 ℃. Although the strength of the aluminum alloy case is weaker than that of the nodular cast iron case, the overall factor of safety of the aluminum alloy case is higher than that of the nodular cast iron case, and can still meet the service life of 33 years or 9.6 million km requirements. In this paper, the applicability of aluminum alloy box is analyzed. The results show that both aluminum ductile iron and aluminum alloy can be used in metro gear box, and can be based on the specific requirements of the vehicle preference selection in the design.

The gut microflora is a combination of all microbes in intestine and their microenvironment, and its change can sensitively reflect the relevant response of the body to external environment and remarkably affect body's metabolism as well. Recent studies have found that cold exposure affects the body's gut microflora, which can lead to changes in the body's metabolism of glucose and lipid. This review summarizes recent research on the effects of cold exposure on gut microbes and metabolism of glucose and lipid, aiming to provide some new ideas on the approaches and measures for the prevention and treatment of diabetes and obesity.

The green power grid development, with industry and regional characteristics, impacts energy systems and eco-friendly production. Ecosystem services are vital for sustainable development. Urgent research is needed to adapt to new situations. This study establishes index systems for power grid green development and ecology. Key factors affecting their coordination are identified, guiding the promotion of green power grid development. Focus on enhancing cross-regional clean energy allocation, waste disposal, noise monitoring, and increasing electric energy use in terminal consumption.

The advancement of green power grid technology, driven by the Tenth Five-Year Plan and the "Double Carbon" objective, is transforming the energy sector and promoting a greener economy. Understanding the link between green power grid development and the ecosystem is crucial. This study establishes an evaluation system to assess their coordination using a model. The analysis shows a progression towards coordinated development since 2006, with green initiatives playing a key role. This evolution highlights green development as a driving force behind power grid progress, rather than a constraint.

The spin Hall effect (SHE), typically emerging in non-magnetic metals with strong spin-orbit couplings, has attracted significant attention for its ability to convert a charge current into a spin current, a key feature in power-efficient spintronic devices. Recently, an enhanced SHE has been detected in the magnetic alloys, where the spin Hall conductivity is strongly modified by the dynamical and thermal spin fluctuations. We find that the spin Hall angle ( ${\theta _{{\text{SH}}}}$ ) in Pt _100− _x Co _x alloys dramatically changes at the Curie temperature, which is positive in the paramagnetic phase akin to Pt, while negative in the ferromagnetic phase. Such intriguing behavior of ${\theta _{{\text{SH}}}}$ stemming from individual and collective fluctuations in the magnetic moments is further substantiated with the full-fledged Monte Carlo simulations. Our work broadens insights into the SHE and highlights the importance of spin fluctuations for the spin-current generation near the ferromagnetic instability point of magnetic alloys.

Characteristic parameters of energy storage and loss in soft magnetic materials (SMMs), product S of initial susceptibility $ \chi_\mathrm{i} $ and resonance frequency $ \omega_\mathrm{r} $ and product L of maximum $ \chi_\mathrm{m}^{^{\prime\prime}} $ and half width $ \Delta\omega $ of imaginary part, were introduced in permalloy films. Expressions of characteristic parameters were derived from Landau–Lifshits–Gilbert equation with a general anisotropic free energy model. It was found S = L equals to intrinsic quantity of SMMs $ {Q} \equiv \gamma M_\mathrm{s} \sqrt{1+H_\perp/H_\parallel} $ , where γ is the gyromagnetic ratio, $ M_\mathrm{s} $ is the saturation magnetization, and $ H_\perp $ and $ H_\parallel $ are mutually orthogonal effective magnetic fields. In the presence of eddy current, it was found S remains equal to Q while L

Abstract Despite multiple efficacious therapies in common between psoriasis (PS) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), mechanisms underlying their common pathophysiology remain largely unclear. Here we sought to establish a link by evaluating expression differences and pathway alterations in diseased tissues. We identified two sets of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between lesional and nonlesional tissues in meta-analyses of data collected from baseline samples in 3 UC and then 3 PS available clinical studies from Pfizer. A shared gene signature was defined by 190 DEGs common to both diseases. Commonly dysregulated pathways identified via enrichment analysis include interferon signaling, partly driven by genes IFI6, CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11, which may attract chemotaxis of Th1 cells to inflammatory sites; IL-23 pathway (IL-23A, CCL20, PI3, CXCL1, LCN2); and Th17 pathway except IL-17A. Elevated expression of costimulatory molecules ICOS and CTLA4 suggests ongoing T-cell activation in both diseases. The clinical value of the shared signature is demonstrated by a gene set improvement score reflecting post-treatment molecular improvement for each disease. This is the first study using transcriptomic meta-analysis to define a tissue gene signature and pathways dysregulated in both PS and UC. These findings suggest immune mechanisms may initiate and sustain inflammation similarly in the two diseases.

Objective: The objective of this study isto investigatethe protein and frying characteristics of grass carp, silver carp and pangasius fish surimi. Methods: The frying characteristics of surimi were characterized by measuring porosity, hardness, and water absorption rate, and the dynamic rheological properties, foam stability and SDS-PAGE of surimi were measured to explore its influencing mechanism. Results: Compared with grass carp fish balls and silver carp fish balls, pangasius fish balls had loose tissue, large pores, highest porosity, lowest hardness, and highest water absorption rate. In addition, the gel strength of pasteurized fish surimi was much higher than that of silver carp and grass carp surimi. The foam stability of grass carp, silver carp and pasteurized fish surimi was 63.0%, 27.7% and 82.0%, respectively. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the protein composition of pangasius surimi has a higher content of actin and myosin. Conclusion: Thepangasius surimi contains high content of actin and myosin, which is one of the key factors to improve the gel strength and foam stability of surimi, eventually affecting the fried characteristics of surimi.

Holistic governance theory is a new type of public management strategy, which helps to provide citizens with a seamless and non-separated holistic service governance scheme, and provides new ideas for food safety supervision. Based on the theory of holistic governance, this article proposes three levels of online food safety supervision, from the perspective of the integrity of supervision implementation to reconstruct the execution network, the integrity of the supervision body to reconfigure of the participating network, the integrity of the supervision accountability to reshape of the power and responsibility system.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the reasonable application of palm oil in the production of fermented dough such as Naan, bread, steamed bread, soda biscuits and frozen flour products. Methods: The effect of palm oil addition on the rheological properties of fermented dough was measured by rotary rheometer, and the microstructure of dough was observed by scanning electron microscope to analyze the mechanism of palm oil addition on dough components. Results: When palm oil of 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 12% were added to wheat flour, the fermentation and rheological properties of dough changed significantly. When the content of palm oil was 4%~10%, the fermentation characteristics of dough were improved effectively, and the aging rate of dough was delayed. However, when palm oil was added to 12%, it would dilute the gluten protein, reduce the stability of the gluten network structure, and increase the hardness and viscosity of the fermented dough. The fermentation volume, water holding capacity and viscoelasticity of the dough increased first and then decreased with the increase of palm oil content. Conclusion: Adding proper amount of palm oil can be beneficial to the formation and stability of gluten network structure, and improve the fermentation and rheological properties of dough. The dough fermentation effect is better when the amount of palm oil is 6% to 8%.

PC/PCCD blends with different PCCD contents were prepared by melt blending. The optical performance test results show that PC/PCCD blends have high light transmittance and low haze. SEM, TEM, DSC, FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra test have been used to investigate PC/PCCD to reveal the internal mechanism of the optical transparency of the blends. The results show that PC/PCCD has a homogeneous structure at the scale of tens of nanometers, which is the direct reason for its high optical properties. All PC/PCCD blends with different PCCD contents show a single glass transition temperature, indicating that PCCD and PC are completely compatible. This complete compatibility leading to the homogeneous structure is the inherent reason for the high transparency of PC/PCCD blends. The mechanism of compatibility between PCCD and PC was further analyzed, and the results show that no transesterification reaction occurs during the melt blending of PC and PCCD. The compatibility of PC and PCCD results from the similarity between their molecular structure, and has nothing to do with whether the transesterification reaction occurs.

Summary Protective efficiency of a combination of four recombinant Brucella abortus (B. abortus) proteins, namely, ribosomal protein L7/L12, outer membrane protein (OMP) 22, OMP25 and OMP31, was evaluated as a combined subunit vaccine (CSV) against B. abortus infection in RAW 264.7 cell line and murine model. Four proteins were cloned, expressed and purified, and their immunocompetence was analysed. BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with single subunit vaccines (SSVs) or CSV. Cellular and humoral immune responses were determined by ELISA. Results of immunoreactivity showed that these four recombinant proteins reacted with Brucella‐positive serum individually but not with Brucella‐negative serum. A massive production of IFN‐γ and IL‐2 but low degree of IL‐10 was observed in mice immunized with SSVs or CSV. In addition, the titres of IgG2a were heightened compared with IgG1 in SSV‐ or CSV‐immunized mice, which indicated that SSVs and CSV induced a typical T‐helper‐1‐dominated immune response in vivo. Further investigation of the CSV showed a superior protective effect in mice against brucellosis. The protection level induced by CSV was significantly higher than that induced by SSVs, which was not significantly different compared with a group immunized with RB51. Collectively, these antigens of Brucella could be potential candidates to develop subunit vaccines, and the CSV used in this study could be a potential candidate therapy for the prevention of brucellosis.

Composite multi-pin connection is a common connection form in engineering structure. In this paper, numerical analysis and experimental study on the failure and damage of composite multi-pin connection structure under tensile load are carried out. Firstly, different failure criteria are established for fiber, matrix and delamination. Based on fracture mechanics, the strength parameters of single-layer plate considering in-situ effect are derived. Combined with the method of stiffness exponential decay, the continuous damage mechanical constitutive model of composite single-layer plate is compiled by using finite element subroutine. In order to improve the calculation efficiency, this paper proposes to use the partition Newton method, which is different from the traditional Puck method and the partition golden section method, to calculate the angle of matrix failure fracture surface in Puck failure criterion. Secondly, the tensile properties of composite laminate plate and perforated plate are analyzed by using the above mechanical model, and the feasibility of the model is verified by comparing the test results. Finally, the failure and damage evolution process of the composite multi pin connection structure is analyzed by using the above mechanical model, and the results are compared with the experimental results. The results show that the mechanical model proposed in this paper can predict and calculate the mechanical response and damage mode of carbon fiber composite multi-pin connection structure under tensile load.

In this paper, we propose a Dickey-Fuller difference statistic to sequentially detect the change-point that shift from an unit root process to a long-memory process. The limiting distribution of monitoring statistic under the unit root process null hypothesis as well as its consistency under the alternative hypothesis are proved. Simulations indicate that the new method can control the empirical size well even for the heavy-tailed unit root process when using the sieve bootstrap method computing its critical values. In particular, it performs significantly better than the available method in the literature under the alternative hypothesis. Finally, we illustrate the new monitoring procedure by a set of foreign exchange rate data.

Objective: To explore the values of PCT and STREM-1 combined with clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS) for evaluating ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in elderly patients.

To accurately evaluate the distribution and bioavailability of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as Cu and Cd in farmlands near a copper smelter, we determined the total concentrations (Cu-T and Cd-T), various speciation concentrations of Cu and Cd and physicochemical properties of 18 paddy soil (or colloid) samples in Guixi town, Jiangxi province, China. The results showed that the concentrations of Cu-T and Cd-T in the soil around the smelter far exceeded the standard limits. Specifically, Cu ranged from 97.47 to 1294.63 mg·kg−1, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 0.95; Cd ranged from 0.14 to 9.06 mg·kg−1, and the CV was 1.68. Furthermore, the pollution of PTEs continued to accumulate, posing a significant risk to the environment and human health. The findings from the analysis of soil and colloid indicated that the distribution characteristics of Cu and Cd speciations did not align with the total concentrations. The highest pollution points were found to be shifted to the residual fraction of Cu, organic fraction, and crystalline iron oxide fraction of Cd in soil. The dominant fraction of Cu in colloid was the amorphous iron oxide fraction, whereas Cd was the crystalline iron oxide fraction. The assessment of Cu and Cd migration (MR) revealed that Cd posed a greater ecological risk. Further examination of the properties of iron oxides in soil and colloid revealed that they played a crucial role in the migration and transformation of soil PTEs.

Abstract Analog arithmetic operations are the most fundamental mathematical operations used in image and signal processing as well as artificial intelligence (AI). In‐memory computing (IMC) offers a high performance and energy‐efficient computing paradigm. To date, in‐memory analog arithmetic operations with emerging nonvolatile devices are usually implemented using discrete components, which limits the scalability and blocks large scale integration. Here, a prototypical implementation of in‐memory analog arithmetic operations (summation, subtraction and multiplication) is experimentally demonstrated, based on in‐memory electrical current sensing units using spin‐orbit torque (SOT) devices. The proposed structures for analog arithmetic operations are smaller than the state‐of‐the‐art complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) counterparts by several orders of magnitude. Moreover, data to be processed and computing results can be locally stored, or the analog computing can be done in the nonvolatile SOT devices, which are exploited to experimentally implement the image edge detection and signal amplitude modulation with a simple structure. Furthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN) with SOT devices based synapses is constructed to realize pattern recognition with high accuracy of ≈95%.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of mouse nerve growth factor (mNGF) and methylcobalamin (MeCbl) for the treatment of lumbar disk herniation (LDH) with foot drop. Methods A total of 46 patients suffering from LDH with foot drop who underwent transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) surgery in our department from January 2015 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. We divided these patients into two groups according to the different postoperative treatment which independently selected by patients after signing informed consent form: one group of 25 patients was treated with MeCbl alone (Group MeCbl), the other group of 21 patients was treated with a combination of mNGF and MeCbl (Group MeCbl+mNGF). Patient demographics, the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, sensory and muscular strength improvement statistics at 1 week, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 12 months postoperatively were recorded. Motor/sensory deficits, sciatica and overall neurological outcome after treatment of MeCbl alone and combination of mNGF and MeCbl were retrospectively analyzed. Results The follow‐up ranged between 12 and 42 months (mean 20.8 months). There were no significant differences between these two groups of patients with respect to sex ratio, age, smoking, diabetes, disease course, section of protruding disc(s), muscular strength of foot dorsiflexion or preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score (P > 0.05). The VAS scores of Group MeCbl+mNGF were significantly lower than Group MeCbl at 1 week, 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 12 months postoperatively (4.32 ± 0.75 vs 5.25 ± 0.79,2.65 ± 0.48 vs 3.42 ± 0.52, 1.72 ± 0.36 vs 2.45 ± 0.39, 1.12 ± 0.22 vs 1.52 ± 0.24, P < 0.05). The effective rates of sensory improvement were significantly higher in Group MeCbl+mNGF compared with Group MeCbl at 12‐week/12‐month follow‐up time point (90.48% vs 52.00%,95.24% vs 68.00%, P

The effect of Li content on the ageing precipitation behavior of Al-3.0Mg-0.6Si alloy was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The evolution and distribution of the precipitation phases in alloys with different Li contents during the artificial ageing at 170 ℃ were analyzed. The results show that the addition of Li changes the ageing precipitation behavior of Al-3.0Mg-0.6Si alloy.In the alloy with 2.15%(mass fraction) Li addition, the spherical δ'-Al3Li phases are formed first in grain interiors, while the needle-shaped β″-Mg2Si phases gradually precipitate at the later ageing stage. After ageing for 192 h, there are obviously dual phase precipitation of spherical δ' phase and needle-shaped β″ phase formed.However, β″ phase precipitation is not found in the alloy with 3.12%Li addition during the observed ageing stage. In addition, there are no precipitation phases at the grain boundaries of the Li-containing alloys, and the precipitate-free zones (δ'-PFZs) and δ' phase are found nearby the grain boundaries. After ageing for 100 h, the alloy with 2.15%Li addition precipitates needle-shaped β″ phase in the δ'-PFZs regions. Both the half width size and growth rate of the δ'-PFZs in the alloy with 2.15%Li addition are greater than that of 2.68%,3.12%Li alloys.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have shown excellent performance in the separation of binary azeotropes through extractive distillation [1]. But the role of the ionic liquid in azeotropic system is not well understood. In this paper, COSMO-RS model was applied to screen an appropriate IL to separate the binary azeotrope of ethyl acetate (EA) and ethanol and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([OMIM][BF4]) was selected. The Quantum Mechanics (QM) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation are performed to study the interactions between the solvent molecules and [OMIM][BF4], in order to investigate the separation mechanism at the molecular level. The nature of the interactions is studied through the reduced density gradient (RDG) function and quantum theory of Atom in Molecule (QTAIM). Hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions are the key interactions in the complexes. The results of MD simulations indicate that the introduction of ILs has a prominent effect on the interaction between the solvent molecules, especially on reducing the number of hydrogen bonds among the solvent molecules. The radial distribution function (RDF) reveals that the interaction between the cation and solvent molecules will increase while the concentration of ILs increases. This paper provides important information for understanding the role of ILs in the separation of the azeotropic system, which is valuable to the development of new entrainers.

Abstract Background Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is life-threatening, and a definitive aetiological diagnosis is essential for management and prognostication. We conducted this study to investigate the genetic aetiologies of PAI in South China and explore their clinical features. Methods Seventy children were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Clinical information was collected, and combined genetic tests were performed according to the children’s manifestations. Statistical analysis was performed among the different groups. In silico or in vitro experiments were applied to determine the pathogenicity of novel variants. Results Among the 70 children, 84.3% (59/70) were diagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21-OHD) was genetically confirmed in 91.5% of these cases. Salt wasting (SW), simple virilization (SV), and non-classic (NC) CAH accounted for 66.1% (39/59), 30.5% (18/59), and 3.4% (2/59) of the cases, respectively. The 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) and testosterone (TES) levels were significantly higher in children with SW than with SV. The 17-OHP and cortisol levels in female SW patients were significantly higher than those in males. The 17-OHP, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEAS) and TES levels in female SW patients were significantly higher than those in female SV patients. Additionally, 72.7% (8/11) of uncharacterized PAI patients had positive genetic findings. Among all the patients, two novel variants in the CYP21A2 gene (c.833dupT and c.651 + 2T > G) were found. A microdeletion (Xp21.2–21.3) and five novel variants, including 2 in the NR0B1 gene (c.323–324CG > GA and c.1231_1234delCTCA), 2 in the AAAS gene (c.399 + 1G > A and c.250delT) and 1 in the NNT gene (c.2274delT), were detected. The novel variant c.399 + 1G > A in the AAAS gene was further confirmed to lead to exon 4 skipping during mRNA transcription and produce a truncated ALADIN protein. Conclusions We found ethnicity-based differences in the CYP21A2 gene variant spectrum among different study populations. Female 21-OHD patients tended to have higher 17-OHP and TES levels, which warrants caution in relation to the effects of virilization. Novel gene variants detected in the CYP21A2, NR0B1, AAAS and NNT genes expanded the genetic spectrum of PAI, however, further improvement of genetic testing tools beyond our protocol are still needed to uncover the complete aetiology of PAI in children.

The horse gut is colonized by a rich and complex microbial community that has important roles in horse physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune functions. Fewer across-breed variations in horse gut microbial diversity have been illustrated. In this article, the gut microbiota of Thoroughbred, Mongolian, and Hybrid horses [first filial generation (F1) of Mongolian (maternal) and Thoroughbred (paternal)] were studied by second-generation high-throughput sequencing technology. Differences in gut microbiota composition and function between breeds were determined using diversity and functional prediction analysis. The alpha diversity analysis showed that Thoroughbred horses had a more abundant and diverse gut microbiota, while the diversity of gut microbiota in Hybrid horses was intermediate between Thoroughbred and Mongolian horses. Subsequent cluster analysis showed that Hybrid horses have a microbiota composition more similar to Mongolian horses. LEfSe analysis revealed that the bacterial biomarkers for Thoroughbred horses at the family level were Prevotellaceae, Rikenellaceae, Fibrobacteraceae, p_251_o5, Lactobacillaceae, and uncultured_bacterium_o_WCHB1_41; the bacterial biomarker for Mongolian horses was Planococcaceae; and the bacterial biomarkers for Hybrid horses were Moraxellaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, and Ruminococcaceae. The functional prediction results indicated that the metabolic pathways differ significantly between the breeds. Regarding metabolism, the Hybrid horses had the lowest proportion of the carbohydrate metabolic pathways, while the energy metabolic pathway had the highest proportion. The abundance ratios of the remaining eight metabolic pathways in Hybrid horses were between Thoroughbred and Mongolian horses. In conclusion, the results of this study showed an association between horse breeds and gut microbiota.

This paper addresses the problem of enabling the use of complex first principles model information as part of a linear Model Predictive Control implementation for improved control. This is achieved by building a hybrid model that uses an approximate implementation of a first principle model and a Subspace Identification (SID) State Space model to explain the error (the residual) between the first principle implementation and the process outputs. The key idea is to utilize the first principles model with the initial conditions consistent with a particular batch, but using a constant value of the control action. Thus, even though the first principles model may be intractable from an optimization perspective, the approximate implementation allows the hybrid model to be linear (in the control input), while allowing the nonlinear dependence on the initial conditions to be captured. The proposed hybrid model based MPC is compared against a previous hybrid model with 2 SID models and a single SID model on a fed batch crystallization process.The paper demonstrates the improved performance achievable by the readily implementable proposed approach.

Abstract Background The gold standard for the diagnosis of central precocious puberty (CPP) is gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) or GnRH analogs (GnRHa) stimulation test. But the stimulation test is time-consuming and costly. Our objective was to develop a risk score model readily adoptable by clinicians and patients. Methods A cross-sectional study based on the electronic medical record system was conducted in the Children’s Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China from January 2010 to August 2016. Patients with precocious puberty were randomly split into the training (n = 314) and validation (n = 313) sample. In the training sample, variables associated with CPP (P